Heart of Greed
by Py687
Summary: After Mata Nui was saved, a few Toa and Matoran are devastated. Will the Toa be able to overcome this and their new foes? I'm keeping OCs to a bare minimum, which means one or two. Also, this was also written before the Karda Nui events unfolded.
1. Infatuation, Manifested

**A Bionicle fanfiction, you ask angrily? And I reply petulantly: yes.**

**Now, don't get all confused in the beginning, thinking it's angst. It's just the infatuations (of the speaker toward _something_) manifesting in their thoughts. But as always, actions speak louder than words, so the speakers will do something... But the question is (obviously), what? Oh, I also assume the Toa Nuva kept their new adaptive armour, and that was their last change.**

**And for this chapter, double-spacing is another character. I was too lazy to even make a scene-change line thingy... Although the way I took was longer. Go figure, hmm?**

* * *

Chapter I: Infatuation, Manifested

Unity, Duty, Destiny – the three Matoran virtues.  
I say Blasphemy.  
What has this so-called "Great Spirit" ever done for the Matoran? Barely anything.  
Of course, one could counter that by whining about he was asleep. I say to them, get real.  
Hell, I've had enough of Vakama's lies.  
The Toa have saved his life; the world is at peace; Mata Nui is finally awake; most Matoran are happy.  
Not us six.

Unity, Duty, Destiny – the three Matoran virtues.  
I say Blasphemy.  
What has this so-called "Great Spirit" ever done for the Toa? Barely anything.  
Of course, one could counter that by whining about he was asleep. I say to them, get real.  
Hell, I've had enough of Vakama's lies.  
The Toa have saved his life; the world is at peace; Mata Nui is finally awake; most Toa are happy.  
Not me.

Takanuva: the only one I can think of after the awakening of our Great Spirit, Mata Nui.  
Gali: killed in that horrifying Final War. Killed…by Takanuva's own hands.  
Takanua: brainwashed by the Makuta stationed at Metru Nui, Teridax.  
Gali: pledging to me her love, moments before that echo of pain shattering the night.  
Takanuva: plunging his sword into Gali's back; her blood gushing out like a fountain of red wine…  
Gali: the only other Toa who took the time to listen to me fully, to ponder on my words, to even comprehend their hidden meanings. Gali, the Toa of Water… lost to me, Kopaka, forever.

Takanuva. And I have disgraced his name for an eternity- no, forever.  
Takanuva. Killer of Toas, manipulated or not.  
Takanuva. From this moment on forward, he is dead.  
No more stories shall be told of him…  
None shall reborn from this fallen hero's ashes…  
Another of the Toa has died.

* * *

**Okay, in the first paragraph, the speaker was Ahkmou (and the five other "important" Matoran from the Metru Nui times), thinking of revenge being inflicted upon the Great Spirit; the second speaker was Tahu Nuva, talking about his love of Gali (who was killed, as you later learned); Kopaka, in the third paragraph, was heartbroken, and in the story, he'll no longer be as calculating as he once was; Takanuva, the last speaker, was having thoughts of suicide and acted upon them. Simple as** **that.**

**This story's a little confusing... Anyways, this story is mainly about all the Toa we have heard about, and what they do after six Matoran rebel against Mata Nui. As you can imagine, their results were a bit...inferior compared to Teridax's attempt. But the Toa think they may just be the Morbuzakh all over again... An important note: I use the adaptive armour in my story, and they adapt back to the Nuva armour when they are on Metru Nui, at least; after all, they adapt (although my main excuse for this is because I haven't been completely up-to-date with current events)! And with due respect to all the Bionicle fanfiction authors, calling Takanuva "Taka" is stupid: he's never been Taka, and he never will be. And if _you_ don't call people by their full names in real life, then I suggest you don't do the same with the characters (ex. Tahu Mata). Plus, it's _Toa Mata Tahu_; notice how the "Mata" comes before "Tahu?"**


	2. Nui Jaga

**Sorry for coming back to the shorter chapters...**

**Man, I suck at this Bionicle story. It's off to a bad start, hmm?**

* * *

Chapter II: Nui-Jaga

_Shink_…

The Nui-Jaga whirled around, hearing the sound of a sword leaving its sheath.

Too late.

"Toa, was that truly necessary? If you hadn't done such an… act… the Nui-Jaga could have been put to use by the Po-Matoran."

"Don't worry, Nuhrii, it's only going to be knocked out for a few hours. You can bring it to Po-Metru now."

"Yes, Toa Jaller."

* * *

Nuparu sharpened his shield with a ProtoSteel blade.

"That's a pretty edgy shield you've got there, Nuparu," commented Tahu Nuva. Nuparu nodded, and continued his work. Tahu left their conversation at that, and glanced over his shoulder. "Chronicler, what brings you here?"

Kopeke bowed. "Er, you see Toa, I have… business with Nuparu."

Nuparu tapped Tahu on the shoulder with his shield, forgetting its sharp steel. "Tahu, would you please excuse us for a moment?" Tahu grunted his approval, hiding the pain Nuparu's shield had provided. With a snarl on his face, he walked out of the cavern.

* * *

"Takanuva? The Toa of Light, dead?"

"When did this happen, Turaga?"

"Where is Jaller? Who will tell him?"

Vakama could barely contain the outbursts. Desperate, he called to Nokama for help. She managed to hush the Matoran and Toa present. In a faint, barely audible voice, she proclaimed, "It was the will of Mata Nui."

"What! I do not believe this!"

"Outrageous; the Great Spirit would never do such a thing!"

"Is Teridax back? Or the other Makuta?"

"Why didn't anyone alert me of this meeting?"

All eyes rested on Toa Mahri Jaller, standing in the opening of the Coliseum. He stood poised, hands clenched in a rage that could not be understood by any.

"Jaller, why are you here? Did you not receive my message, commanding you to travel to the island of Xia, to settle a minor dispute between traders?" Kopaka asked.

Jaller's eyes flitted over to Kopaka's telescopic lens before returning his vision to Vakama. "With all due respect, Turaga Vakama, I'll ask again: why didn't anyone alert me of this meeting?"

All Matoran eyes were concentrated on Vakama.

"It was not yet time to tell you, Jaller."

"Not time? I lost a friend and teammate – Matoro – during my ventures in the Pit; I lost my own life during the expedition to find the seventh Toa, when you knew where he was; now I lose my best friend, the famed Toa of Light, Takanuva? And when did you think I could handle such an occurrence, if not now?"

"As you have proved yourself, Jaller, you could _not_ handle it well," the Toa of Ice retorted. Kopaka continued his lecture. "When I- we lost Gali, there was nothing you could do about it. When we lost the Great Spirit, even for a second, there was nothing you could do about it; when Tahu was poisoned by Lerahk, there was nothing you could do about it; when Takanuva dug through Mangai Volcano, and flung himself into the molten lava, there was nothing you could do about it."

"I didn't even know!"

"Just as how you didn't know Tahu was poisoned by Lerahk, or Matoro was dead until the Turaga told you. But life goes on, Jaller." Kopaka had his fists clenched by this time; tears fell from his eyes. "And maybe, just maybe… Takanuva _deserved it_."

The statement enticed a gasp from all members of the audience, as they heard a Toa proclaim that another had deserved to die.

"Toa Kopaka! Restrain yourself from such… ludicrousness!" Vakama scolded.

"But it's true, Turaga. Takanuva deserved to die, for killing Gali…"

Vakama was angry at the Toa of Ice's sudden loss of control. "That's quite enough, Kopaka. Would you please leave the stadium?"

But Kopaka was already gone.

* * *

"And as you can probably guess, Jaller was upset at the whole ordeal," Hahli explained to Kongu.

"Well, yeah! I mean, Kopaka just said aloud that Takanuva deserved to die! Poor Jaller…"

Hahli sighed. "I wish I could cheer him up. But there's nothing I could do to-"

"What are you talking about, Hahli? Have you seen Jaller when he is around you? Anything that you do for him cheers him up!" Kongu was astounded by Hahli's lack of awareness about Jaller.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kongu," Hahli replied quixotically, blushing behind her mask.

"Say what you want, Hahli; but if you really want to cheer Jaller up, take him out for a walk on the beach. Maybe use some of your Rahi powers to take Jaller for a swim?"

* * *

Tahu could barely suppress his energy as he walked past the three Ta-Metru sentries guarding the Great Furnace. Inside the huge, well-insulated room, Tahu walked around the furnace, basking in its red glory… and the embers flying out of the furnace flared as they passed Tahu's poison-scarred mask.

* * *

**I promise, the next chapter will be better (and will have a lot more words). I'm just not into it today... oh well; at least we see Jaller and Hahli kinda like each other.**

**Ah, so what do you readers think happened to Tahu and Kopaka?  
****Kopaka had a huge outburst, his anger pouring in front of tens of hundreds of Matoran... Tahu with a poison-scarred mask... What the heck is going on?**


	3. March of the Proud

**Ah, what a horrible thing it is for one to be so absent-minded! It took me ages to remember that a funeral oration is a eulogy... Actually, I hadn't remembered it - thank God for Google!**

**Ooh, the next chapter doesn't really have action, but you readers will find out what happened after the Final War. Have fun with this sad revelation!**

**Gosh, I sure hope someone reviews my story... ahem, ahem?**

* * *

Chapter III: March of the Proud

Onua placed a hand on the dark gravel beside him; the dirt hummed with a sound resonance, almost hurting Onua's ears. _Wait for it… Wait for it… _Onua redundantly told himself – these days, his patience ended far too early. Sometimes, he even thought Teridax's defeat was part of his plan… and that, as always, it reached farther than what the Turaga planned. The drilling of an Onu-Matoran diverted his thoughts from the philosophical part of his mind to the "act now, ask later" part. Onua braced himself for the coming of a Blade Burrower; he knew this part of the Archives must be kept stable for the transport of a Doom Viper, and he was not about to fail as he had failed Pohatu.

* * *

Kopaka, his mask and armour scoured, scanned the horizon of Ko-Metru atop one of its highest towers. Before him, Matoran of every size and shape walked hurriedly around the crystal towers of Ko-Metru, occasionally scanning the towers for signs of chipping and cracking. Kopaka noticed one of the Matoran running, away from Ko-Metru – and into Po-Metru. _Probably on a mission sent by another Ko-Matoran… I won't need to bother with such tedious tasks as watching over him… Gali's grave has been unattended for weeks. I should probably go _there_…_ Kopaka exhaled noisily, his breath coming as mist.

Mist that looked like it was shaped by Gali.

Kopaka turned away, scolding himself for looking at his own breath. Mourning for his love was over, he had to move on.

But without Gali, would it be worthwhile for him to…?

Moving on is what Gali would have done in her place, and what she would want him to do now. Would it be?

Kopaka considered consulting Onewa for advice, as he was known as "the Referee," but knew it would be futile – the Turaga would not even give him a chance to speak after condemning a brother of his, nor would they understand his pain.

_People think I have no heart,_ Kopaka thought to himself glumly. _But I disagree._

* * *

"Toa Tahu, to what pleasure do I owe in seeing you to- _glurk!_"

His staff plummeted onto the ground; to Tahu, it seemed like a far and deep recess of hell. The organic parts of the fallen Turaga could not hold back the remaining blood, as Tahu Nuva's twin Magma Swords pierced Matau's chest. His Noble Mask of Illusions, Mahiki, fell onto the ground with a dull thud. The Fire Toa's Magma Swords ceased their charges, the blades' lava-red edges cooling down to their Protodermis-silver colouring in seconds. And, within a few minutes, all evidence of the green foolhardy Turaga's horrible demise vanished from the Matoran world. After taking what he needed from Turaga Matau's hut, Tahu left the scene, a smirk clearly imprinted on his face.

* * *

Lewa could not believe it. After searching all over Le-Metru, no one had seen the old Turaga of Air leave his Metru, nor seen him in it. Now thoroughly puzzled, Lewa desperately decided to turn to Pohatu for help.

Walking towards the cemetery, it occurred to him how many things had happened since the Final War – the great battle between the Toa and Order of Mata Nui versus the Dark Hunters and Brotherhood of Makuta. So many lives had been lost, least of all many Toa's sanity… Lewa had been one of the lucky few to escape the episode alive and mostly unharmed, and still retain his original personality. It was Kopaka and Tahu he feared for…

First, Tahu had overheard Gali and Kopaka's secret conversation – so had the rest of the team, for that matter – and soon after became depressed, almost losing his will to fight. Furthermore, in the Final War, Gali herself had been killed by the Toa of Light; whom, no doubt after today's events, Kopaka still had not forgiven. By then, Tahu had become so overcome with grief, he tried commiting suicide, if not for Norik and Takanuva's sudden intervention in stopping him from drowning. Lewa thought that was how Takanuva got the idea of killing himself, in a much more conventional method.

Even worse, the Toa Nuva's calm Kopaka, the Toa of Doing His Own Thing, had volunteered to go with a partner to retrieve Gali's body after Mata Nui's awakening. He chose to pick Onua, and the intrepid duo reached their destination without trouble. After Gali's burial, Tahu had then attempted the aforementioned suicide, and after failing that, stalked off and never became the same again. Kopaka learned the techniques of mood swings, and would one second shun a Toa and become even icier than he was after first landing on Mata Nui, and the next try comforting the Matoran beside him.

Onua was the only other Toa Nuva besides Lewa who was considered normal, and even then he had suffered a brotherly loss in the Final War; the only difference was, he was guilty of failing his duty in protecting Pohatu after his unconscious fall in battle. The Brotherhood had a few Visorak surrounding the two Toa, and even Onua's quick reflexes and incredible strength could not batter down all of his enemies before succumbing to the Oohnorak's mimicking calls. The Toa of Earth thought Pohatu had awakened, turned to help him up, and was struck in the back. When he came to, the battle was over, and Pohatu had been lost. Onua was tired by the time the Oohnorak tricked him, and Lewa knew it, but he still took the blame.

In cases like this, Lewa almost wished Mata Nui hadn't awoken. For instance, the six heroes were great friends. There were disputes sometimes, but they were mostly minor, and there was always a sense of belonging, urgency, and friendship between the six in the midst of a heated fight. They always felt like a battle was where they belonged, and the six always felt as if there were a closeness beyond friendship, and ordinary family love. They were more than just Toa brothers and sisters; instead of just saying they were a family, the Toa Nuva actually _felt it_.

Now all that happiness and belonging was taken away by the Great Spirit of Mata Nui; taken when he awoke and peace once again reigned the land. How many good lives have been lost in the quest to help the Great Spirit? How many innocent Matoran and civilians died? The life of one could not be worth the lives of thousands more. The Great Spirit himself could not deny such a fact, that the better of the majority of the Matoran was more important than his survival.

And yet Lewa and the others had risked their lives to wake him up. Just because it was their destiny.

Lewa knew not of destiny, nor any other virtues; but what he _did_ know was a curse.

* * *

Lewa stood by the gravestone of Pohatu, one of the jollier Toa. Tears came to the green hero's eyes, as he knelt by the monument and spoke, his first two words heavy and thick with emotion.

"My brother." Words caught in his throat, and a strangled cry of sorrow came rushing out after years of being buried in the far recesses of Lewa's mind. Replayed in memory, he remembered being invited to the Toa of Stone's funeral and asked to write a processional eulogy… which Lewa had rudely declined. "Pohatu… Rest in peace. Mata Nui has been awakened. Your death has not been in vain, Toa of Stone, and your accomplishments will forever be remembered: befriending the icy Kopaka, being the fastest Toa of Stone to have lived, and many other things. Your joy in everything shall be noted, your friendliness remembered, and your kind, sheepish eyes will forever be learned by the Po-Matoran."

As Lewa left, he was startled at his usual forgetfulness – he had come to ponder on the disappearance of Turaga Matau. But it suddenly dawned on him as he turned towards Pohatu's gravestone, that Mata Nui had not left the lives of the Matoran and Toa after all. No, the Great Spirit had given him an answer. Lewa now knew why he had felt so compelled to come to the graveyard.

A somber look emerging on his face, Lewa dashed back to Le-Metru.

* * *

**Whoo, that was exciting, right? Tahu killed Matau... unless, of course, that was an illusion, and Matau had foreseen the event. But that's pretty unlikely, don't you guys agree?**

**Hmm, lemme count now; only four of the seven Toa Nuva are left? Pretty saddening, huh? Sorry I can't stop the chapter with a happier end, but things must be this way. I was actually thinking of making this an angst/romance story, but like I said earlier, it's only angsty as a sort of side story.**

**Okay, the next chapter should be up within a few weeks or so - I've got a pretty big load of homework to do now.**


	4. Accusations

**Not one of my _best_ chapters, but certainly one of my better Heart of Greed ones (at least near the end), here's "Accusations."**

* * *

Chapter IV: Accusations

"I am true-telling, Matau is dead! I had hope-wished it would not be so, but our Air Turaga is gone… Not even Mata Nui will be able to find him," Lewa breathed. After an hour waiting for a few Matoran to gather at the Coliseum, along with finding the rest of the Toa and Turaga (except for Jaller), Lewa Nuva had revealed to everyone Matau's fate. "I do not know who or where the evil-killer is, but I shall bring him to justice!"

"Lewa, for all we know, Matau could be playing a trick on you and pretending to be someone else. Either that, or you two are in this prank together," Tahu responded. A murmur passed through the small Matoran audience, conceding with Tahu's probable suggestion. "I knew it was a waste of time for this 'meeting.' Matau can take care of himself, right?"

Onua nodded. "Our brother speaks the truth, Lewa. How can our cheerful Turaga be dead?"

Flabbergasted, Lewa could only stare back at his friends, who were unwilling to accept the truth. He gathered his courage for a final try. "Matau has not been merely killed, fellow Toa. No, Matau has been _destroyed_. I found ash-scorch marks near hut… real-evidence suggesting he may have been fire-melted. Also, Matau's Staff of Anger has been taken."

The second piece of news was devastating, as the Matoran and even Turaga turned to each other, discussing the possibility of Matau owning a Staff of Anger. Vakama was the first to make an inquiry. "And how did Matau come to own this staff? Why didn't he tell the rest of us?" The Turaga of Fire looked so angry, Lewa was too stunned to answer.

After a moment's hesitation, he answered, "Matau didn't want Turaga Nokama to stress-worry. And if anyone was to search-find the staff, then the happy-Matoran will be in big trouble…"

"Nonsense!" Tahu interjected. "There's no proof Matau has ever owned such a staff. I also thought we have finally defeated Makuta for the last time. Anyways, scorch marks do not indicate the Air Turaga has melted. Oh, are you going to tell us you found blood and pieces of armour there too?"

"No, I didn't."

"And that proves my point – Matau has _not_ been killed," Tahu claimed triumphantly. He started walking out of the Coliseum, when Lewa started announcing his suspects.

"But I do believe Tahu knows something about the incident. He is the Toa of Fire, for one thing; he is also the only one who keeps arguing against all I say."

To everyone's surprise, Kopaka spoke in Tahu's defense. "Lewa, as much as I would like to see our leader humiliate himself, he would not stoop down so low as to kill a Turaga. Listen to your own words, brother. Tahu being the Toa of Fire is barely enough reason. Moreover, I _would_ have spoken up earlier if Tahu hadn't kept interjecting. All of us would have, as a matter of fact."

Lewa could not bring himself to tell the others horrible truth of how he knew Matau really had died. How _could_ he? Say, "Pohatu told me?" No one – especially Kopaka – would have believed him. As Lewa finally saw he was alone, he took the only action he could.

Lewa walked out of the Coliseum, silent. Nobody saw the tears forming in his eyes.

* * *

_You coward_, Kopaka thought endlessly. Sitting atop a Knowledge Tower, Kopaka had told himself dozens of times to tell Onua the truth – that _he_ was the one who knocked Pohatu unconscious in the Final War, not a Visorak – but Kopaka found he could not. How could he?

Sighing, Kopaka thought back to the day after Gali had admitted her love.

--x--

"Kopaka!" Gali looked over at the Toa of Ice, a small wound on his left leg.

"I'm all right, Gali. It's okay… watch your right!"

Gali swiveled around, knocking the incoming Visorak blow away. She smiled at him, her eyes dazzling pools of gold… when Kopaka saw Takanuva strike. His staff made a horizontal cut along Gali's back, then finishing the job by stabbing her. Kopaka saw as Gali's smile faded from her face, slowly turning into a frown when the realization of where her pain was coming from hit her.

Out of rage, not rational thinking, the Toa of Ice instantly froze Takanuva, preventing him from doing any more damage – even though to Kopaka, the greatest damage had already been done. Kopaka knelt over Gali, his eyes fixating on her wound, a deep gash on her back. Not much blood was oozing out now – the majority of it had already leaked from the initial attack – but Kopaka knew Gali would not survive.

"No, Gali… You can't die, you can't, you can't… No, I love you, don't die, no…"

Kopaka took a quick gasp as he saw Gali smiling at him. It was faint, but it was clearly there. And that was the end of Gali's life. In his fury, Kopaka had unleashed a short blizzard in his surrounding area. It was short – barely lasted a minute – but Pohatu had been knocked out by the friendly fire. When Onua came, he was shocked by the presence of two Toa either dead or unconscious. Kopaka lied – "the Visorak came too close; I tried to hold them off with an icy blizzard, but they got to Gali and Pohatu" – and asked Onua to take care of the Toa of Stone. After that, Visorak really _did_ surround Onua and Pohatu, and Pohatu had been killed.

--x--

Eyes brimming with tears, Kopaka wiped them off when he heard the sound of crunching ice.

"Toa Kopaka?" He turned his head around. It was Jaller. "About Takanuva's death… I thought-"

"Jaller… I acted foolishly at the Coliseum yesterday. I am sorry for the loss of a fellow Toa, and I understand you grief. If you would accept my apology, I would truly be grateful."

For a second, Jaller stood there stunned, hardly doing anything except for the bare necessities needed for survival. Then, he finally gathered enough courage to reply to his brother. "Toa Kopaka, I… There truly is no need to apologize. I realized that you just needed to release your anger. It has been boiling for the past few years, hasn't it." The last sentence came out more as an observation than a question, but Kopaka nodded anyway. "Well, I accept your apology, Kopaka."

The two Toa stood there for a while, neither one speaking. When the Toa of Fire knew nothing more would be said, he left. The remaining Toa wept, for he could do nothing else.

* * *

"Hahli, why did you want to meet me out here?"

"Come on, Jaller, stop asking so many questions! It's a surprise…"

Hahli offered her hand to the Toa of Fire. With a half-hearted groan, Jaller took it, and followed her through a dank cave. In truth, Jaller could not care less about what Hahli was going to show him in Po-Metru; he was more interested in spending this quality time with her instead. Since a Matoran, he had always felt attracted to her, more than just a "we're-both-made-from-Mata Nui" relationship. Soon, Jaller knew what it was he _really_ felt: love. But, unsure of whether or not the opposite party would accept him, Jaller decided to put off his confession until later.

_Yeah, but how long _can_ I put it off? Sometimes, I think I should just admit it… Besides, I'm pretty sure she likes me too. Or am I just hoping again?_ Jaller wondered. However, his train of thought was interrupted when Hahli brought him to a clearing.

"Isn't it great, Jaller?"

The Toa of Fire could not reply, for a few reasons. First, he was amazed grass was even in Po-Metru; secondly, in the middle of the field was a statue made entirely of rock. Normally, it would not be so much of a surprise for Jaller, for statues were Po-Matoran specialties. However, this one depicted two Matoran figures sitting on opposite sides of a tree – Hahli and Jaller.

However, Hahli took Jaller's silence as a sign of uncertainty. Tentatively, she asked, "Do you like it?"

When Kongu first appealed the solution to her, she denied even _liking_ Jaller. But after a short survey of the other Toa Mahri, Hahli knew the truth: all the Toa Mahri, save for Jaller and Hahli themselves, knew the two Toa had liked each other since the beginning. They had simply been too afraid of rejection (Kongu replied when Hahli asked her if Jaller might reject her with "Rejection? You think he would reject _you_?").

As all that went through her mind, Jaller stood silently beside Hahli. At the time, the Toa of Water really believed there was no possible way Jaller would turn her down. Now, as she saw Jaller's face, she could not help but think, _Is that anger or relief?_ Hahli, assuming the worst, spoke to Jaller one more time. "Jaller, I'm so sorry, you had to see this… I can't believe I ever thought you liked me, I'm so stupid, I'm sorry-"

Jaller's reply swept her off her feet. Literally.


	5. Revelations

**Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been pretty preoccupied lately.**

**Thanks to all my reviewers! I do apologize for my absence, but hopefully things circumstances will allow me to write more often. Thank you guys so much. :)  
**

_**

* * *

Heart of Greed**_

Chapter V: Revelations

Tahu was relieved to find no one had followed him to the Great Furnace. If they had, he would have had to kill them. Not that he would feel guilt, but killing Lewa could prove difficult if someone else died – everyone would have his or her guard up.

The Toa crouched on the floor; his hands, with a mind of its own, opened a trapdoor. He climbed down, closed the cover, and walked down the secret stairs. He arrived at the very base of the furnace. Tahu surreptitiously faced towards it, careful to hide his face. He peeled off his mask, and stared at the poisonous scar etched across the Hau. He was tired of pretending to be who he wasn't; he was tired of doing nothing but observe; he was tired of the peace that reigned across the land. In his rage, he flung his hand back, ready to start the motion of crushing his mask against the furnace… and stopped himself when he realized what he was doing. _No_, he decided. _I cannot let everything he did end now, when he is _so close…

Tahu put on his mask back and stood there for a minute, basking in the heat of the furnace. Against the wall, hidden by the shadows, was the Staff of Anger Tahu claimed as his reward. Assured no one had found the staff, he climbed the stairs back up, and walked away from the Great Furnace, a smile planted on his face. His goal was to stop the spreading of the truth. And to do that, he had to kill Lewa Nuva.

*******************

Lewa could not believe the absurdity of his own thoughts. To think he actually thought Tahu had killed Matau! Ha, it was as plausible as Teridax returning alive! Preposterous! Lewa continued "swimming" through the chutes, glancing out through the Protodermis in the chutes. He occasionally passed by metal crates, also swimming along the chutes to reach the same destination Lewa was going to.

Once Lewa Nuva jumped out of the chute, he was greeted by the familiar setting of Le-Metru. The luscious green vines hung from some of the older chutes – now functioning; they had been fixed during the return of the Matoran – and the vast, green dome-shaped buildings scattered across the region were spread across the Metru, reaching farther than the eye could see.

Lewa glided along the gentle wind, until he reached what used to be Matau's hut. As he landed and went inside, he could not help thinking that even if Tahu had not killed Matau, someone had done it – Matau was dead, _that_ much he was sure of – and taken the Staff of Anger. That notion brought Lewa to a conclusion: someone tried taking the staff, but thought killing Matau would also be a benefit. Why? With Matau dead, no one would know the Staff of Anger would be missing – except for Lewa, whom Matau had told, and the Turaga's killer – and he could take it. Since nobody would believe Matau died – of what cause? – then the staff would not be missed, and no suspicions would be brought up. So why would someone take the Staff of Anger?

_Crunch_. The green Toa swerved around, confronted by Tahu himself. He saw a bright red figure stopped at the entrance of the hut.

"Tahu?" Lewa cried out, bewildered by the Toa's sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?"  
"I'm here… to kill you."

********************

Onua sighed. So much had happened in the following weeks. Takanuva had committed suicide, Turaga Matau was murdered, and both Lewa and Kopaka had been reported missing. None of it was good. Onua paused in his work, contemplating again what Mata Nui's awakening truly meant.

Supposedly, it brought happiness and peace throughout the land, with evil eradicated throughout the world. But in reality? Things had continued on mostly the same… with the exception of revealing of the Order of Mata Nui and the loss of hundreds of Toa. Had waking Mata Nui been so important it blinded everyone the truth, that perhaps things wouldn't be better than before? Yes, the looming threat of the Makuta was gone; and yes, no evil was present; but overall most nothing had changed.

And Onua's brothers and sister had been so overjoyed when it was revealed how to trick Teridax out of Mata Nui's body. He should have known saving the world wouldn't be all it cracked up to be.

The black Toa of Earth recalled Kopaka's revelation of the Final War, when he revealed that it had been he and not the Visorak that had injured Pohatu; Onua had been so outraged – something no one had envisioned or predicted would happen – he nearly strangled Kopaka. However, even if he had killed the Toa of Ice, which he never would do, it would not erase the guilt that came with failing Pohatu. When he was requested to guard the fallen Toa of Stone, some Oohnorak had mimicked his voice to lead Onua to believe Pohatu had reawakened, and… they struck. It had been luck that kept him alive throughout the battle.

Luck he'd rather be without. Life without a brother of nearly the same element was as if an empty void had filled Pohatu's spot; no longer were jokes or chuckles shared between Onua and another Toa; no longer was there someone he could always rely upon to be cheered up by…

Suddenly too saddened by these horrible thoughts, Onua gave an anguished shriek and dug away from the Matoran he worked with.


	6. FanFiction Update :3

Hey, update for on-hiatus stories! Here's the order of priorities in story updates from now on:

Metroid Retribution  
Heart of Greed  
RuneScape Wars  
Digimon Annihilation  
Fowl Play  
A Generous Bounty

Also, DigiDrew and I are planning a new Digimon story in the works, apart from the "Remedies for the Ill" series (which has ended by now due to unpopularity and general lack of interest). Stay tuned!


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